Can opening device



.1. HOTHERSALL 1 v CANHOPENINGLDEYICE Oct. 1, 1940.

Filed April 23, 1937 ATTORNE Patented Oct. 1,' 1940 r PAT Ti ornca 7 12,216,116" s C ENI DEWC .John M. Hothersall, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignoito.

American Can Company, New YorlnN. 2., a cob ,I

g p oration of New Jersey Ap ucation pn 23; 1937, Serial No. 138,657 7 soi im (cllepmi-j R front* view*oi the opening and the shape of the The present invention relatestocan opening devices and has particular reference to 'a onepiece opener of simple construction'which is adapted to be applied to an end of a can adjacent" the seam or rim connectingthe end with the body, for formingafpourin'g openingin the can end and for shaping the end seam or. rim adjacent the opening into a pouring spout-to facilitate'dispensing of the can contents. b

An object of thepresent invention is the pro- -vis1on-of a. simple one-piece can opening and spout forming device which is" adapted to be easily applied to an end'of a can adjacent its end seam or rim and by a simple puncturing and rocking movement. using-the can:' end seam or rim as a fulcrum, simultaneously i'n one sweeping movement, to re-shape the puncture opening, the canend, the end seam or' rim anda portion of the can body adjacent the [seam "to provide a cooperating pouring opening and. spout" whichwill permit dispensing of thecan contents in an unrestricted and full stream when the can is tilted into pouring position. v

' I Another object is the provision of a simple one- I piece canfopeningand spout forming device of v the character described having a puncturing point which enters thecan end adjacent the seam v to provide'a pouring opening and to position the device so that a rocking movement. on the. en-

gaged seam as a pivotbends over theseam while pressing in on the side wall just beneath to form f the-engaged wall and seam intoa pouring spout. Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better under- 35. stood from the' following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying I drawing,discloses a preferred embodimentthere- Referring to the drawing: 1

40 Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a can opening device embodyingv the instant invention; g v Fig. 2,is a detail showlngra front elevation of the lower end of thedevice;-

Fig.4 is-a side elevationof the opener and a fragmentary sectional view'of the upper end of a can showing the opener in position on the can at the beginning of the opening operation;

Fig. 5 is a view similar toFig. 4 and showing the upper end of a can in section with the open-' ing device in position at the completion of the opening operation; and I 55 Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a can showing a Fig. 3 is an end plan view takensubstantially... along a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig.2;

on itself toa position substantially parallel with b butspaced awayfromltheface of the handle to F form a cutter H. The space between thebacl of the cutter" and the face of thehandle is prefer ably slightly {greater than the thickness of the H standard end seam or rim of an ordinary'tin can, this thickness usually being a standard dimension in canmaking practice. .The cutter is formed into an outwardly curvedcross-section as indi-- cated at I 5 in Fig. 3. The lower end of the cut- 20 ter extends below the blunt end section I2- of the I handle-Ii and-is sharpened into a cutting point la The upper end of th'e handle i l is preferably bent at substantially right anglesas shown "in 25 Fig. 4 to provide a head section l'lfor use in applying aapressure on the device.

The opening device is preferably applied to a can, as exemplified by thecan 2| shown in Fig. 1.

" It is first placed in a vertical position as shown 30 in Fig. 4 with the rear wall of the cutter engaging the can endseamorrim, indicated by the numeral 22, and witl'i'the point of the cutter resting on the can endlmarkedfl) In this po-' sition theblunt end I] of the handle Ii is over the top of but is disposed outwardly beyond the canuseamln. Y. I

,while in this position the cutter is p'rssed down or a sharp blow may be struck onthe right angle section l1. atthefupper end of ,the'ha'ndle 1|. -Thisdrives the cutter down into theflcanr end 23, puncturing the some while movingthe blunt end I2 of the handle'down alongside of the end seam. Inlowered position itslowere'nd prov jects belowthe seam'isee dotted lines in Fig; 4). The opening thus made in the can end is not sufficient to provide a pouringiopening but in this preliminary stage the opening does create an anchor holdfor temporarilyretaining the device j in vertical position.

The completion of the forming of a pouring opening and the shaping of a pouring spout'may now be made at one and the same time by a 'mererocklng or pivoting of the applied device by moving the handle il'ina vclock-wise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4) using the can seam as a fulcrum. This action presses the blunt end l2 of the handle against the side wall of the can just under the end seam causing the wall to be forced inwardly as shown in Fig. 5. At the same time the rear wall of the cutter presses downwardly on the can seam and this bends over the engaged section of the seam. This simple combined action re-shapes only a smallpart of the can side wall and a small part of the end seam and forms a pouring spout 25 (Fig. 6).

Simultaneously with the formation of the pouring spout the forward face of the cutter l4 presses upwardly on the bottom or inner surface of the i can end 23. This slightly elongates the hole made by the cutter and at the same time bends the can end adjacent the hole into an inverted w channel having an arch cross-section thereby forming a raised or elevated pouring opening 26 (Figs. 5 and 6). This opening is shaped, in cooperation with the pouring spout v 25, to discharge the can contents in a smooth running and steady stream'when the opened can is tilted into pouring position.

If desired a vent hole 2! (Fig. 6) may be made in the can end with the point of the cutter. It has been found that some liquids flow out through the opening with greater speed and in a more steady stream it such a vent hole is provided. I

It ,is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes maybe made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A one-piece can opening and spout forming device, comprising a flat substantially rectangular handle member, an elongated cutter comprising a struck out part of the fiat surface of said handle member adjacent one end thereof and extending parallel to but spaced therefrom a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the seam joining the can and its end, said cutter depending below the can engaging end of said handle member and having a puncturing point adapted to larging and reshaping the opening made in the can end by insertion of said cutter to provide a free flowing discharge opening, the elongated configuration of said cutter serving to increase the depth of said spout and its' longitudinal di-- mension radially of the can end.

2. A can opening and spout forming device comprising an elongated flat substantially rectangular handle member terminating at one end in a blunt end section disposed in the plane of the handle member, a portion of the handle member adjacent said blunt end section being cut out and bent reversely to depend a material predetermined distance below said blunt end section to constitute a cutting element spaced from and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to said handle member, said depending cutting element being designed to be moved vertically to puncture a can end adjacent the rim connecting the end withthe can body with the blunt end section of the handle member engaging over said rim and the cutting element projecting vertically within and adjacent the inner side wall of the can, and an outward rockingmovement of more than 90 degrees imparted to said handle member downwardly with respect to the can and using the can rim as a fulcrum, will cause the cutting element and the blunt end section of the handle to reshape the can end, the rim and a side wall of the can body adjacent the opening, nto a cooperating pouring opening and elongated spout arched above said can end for freely dispensing the can contents when the can is tilted into pouring position. g H

3. A can opening and spout forming device comprising an elongated flat substantially rectangular handle member terminating at one end in a blunt end section disposed in the plane of the handle member, an angularly disposed head section on the opposite end of said handle member for applying longitudinal pressure thereto, an intermediate portion of the handle member ad-, jacent said blunt end. section being struck out and bent reversely to depend a material predetermined distance below said blunt end section to constitute an elongated cutting element terminating in a sharp piercingpoint spaced from and disposed in aplane substantially parallel to said.

handle member, said depending cutting element being designed to be moved verticallywhen pressure is applied to said head section tov penetrate a can end adjacent the rim connecting the end with thecan body with the blunt end section engaging over said rim in fulcrum position and extending down adjacent the outer can body wall when the can'end is punctured, with said cutting element'projecting vertically within and adjacent the inner side wall of the can, and an outward rocking movement of more than 90 degrees imparted to said handle member downwardly with respect to the can and using the can rim as a fulcrum, will bring said blunt end section into bending engagement with the can body beneath said rim while simultaneously causing said cutting element'to-reshape the puncture opening, thecan end and the rim adjacent the opening, into a cooperating pouring opening and spout for readily dispensing the can contents in a full and steady stream *whenthe can is tilted to pouring position, the elongated configuration of said cutting element increasing the depth of said spout and its longitudinal dimension radially of the can end.

JOHN M. HO'IHERSALL. 

